By Samuel Sunday
The Ekiti State Government and the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI) have stepped up efforts to increase patronage of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state through a stakeholders’ town hall meeting in Ado-Ekiti.
The forum, held on Thursday, brought together community leaders, religious leaders, youth representatives, midwives, persons with disabilities, health workers, and other stakeholders to discuss ways to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and encourage residents to use PHC facilities.
State Administrator of the Ekiti State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Mrs. Ogundola Olomolabake, said the meeting was organized to close communication gaps between health providers and communities and to sensitize residents on the importance of accessing care at PHCs.
“For primary healthcare services in Ekiti State, we can say on average things are improving, but we still need more community participation and utilization of these facilities,” she said.
Olomolabake noted that the government and its partners had invested heavily in revitalizing PHCs, including facility renovations, solar power installation, borehole provision, and upgrading some centres to offer more comprehensive services.
She added that health workers had undergone training and retraining, including on “Respectful Maternal Care,” to improve patient-provider interactions.
“Gone are the days when people complained about poor attitudes of health workers. Health workers now understand the importance of respectful maternal care and better communication with patients and their relatives,” she said.
Stakeholder Afuye Busayo said the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund and other intervention programs were supporting the revitalization of at least one PHC in every ward. He acknowledged concerns over gaps in newly developing communities and appealed for more facilities in underserved areas.
Ekiti State PTA Chairman Elder Adeusi Adesoji commended ongoing health awareness campaigns, particularly immunization drives in schools. He said improved sensitization and better service delivery had increased parental confidence and uptake of healthcare services.
“Parents are responding positively now because they are more informed about the benefits of these services. The health workers are more accessible and healthcare delivery has improved considerably,” Adesoji said.
Stakeholders agreed that strengthening primary healthcare is critical to reducing maternal and child mortality, improving immunization coverage, and providing affordable care, especially in rural areas. They urged residents to use PHCs for routine care, antenatal services, and immunization instead of waiting until illnesses become severe.
Organizers also took feedback on areas for improvement. Participants commended Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration for prioritizing health, saying access to facilities had improved since he assumed office.
